The New York Rangers are looking to contend in 2025-26 after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign. New York started the season looking like a Stanley Cup contender. However, they quickly fell apart and ended the season well outside the playoffs.
The Rangers are not looking to experience a repeat of this fate. And they’ve made some extremely difficult moves to try and shake things up. New York traded Chris Kreider to the Anaheim Ducks at the start of the offseason. And they traded K’Andre Miller to the Carolina Hurricanes once NHL Free Agency began on July 1.
They did not spend the summer subtracting from the roster, though. The Rangers signed Vladislav Gavrikov to a seven-year contract in free agency. Gavrikov is one of the best defensive defensemen in the league, and should pair well with Adam Fox on the top pairing.
New York still has some room to make a move, though. Ideally, they would trade for a young player who can provide long-term value. There are a few possibilities, and there’s one name in particular that stands out. With this in mind, Heavy.com proposes the following trade between the Blueshirts and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
New York Rangers acquire: Yegor Chinakhov
Columbus Blue Jackets acquire: Brennan Othman and a 2026 fifth-round pick
Yegor Chinakhov Has Requested A Trade
Elsa/Getty ImagesYegor Chinakhov could be a big part of the long-term future of the New York Rangers.
Chinakhov is a former first-round pick of the Blue Jackets from the 2020 NHL Draft. The 24-year-old has played parts of four seasons in the NHL to this point. In 2023-24, it seemed as if he was on the verge of a breakout. He scored 16 goals in 53 games that year.
However, things did not work out in the slightest. He played just 30 games in 2024-25, scoring seven goals and 15 points. 14 of these points came in the 21 games he played following an injury in late November.
This summer, he requested a trade away. Teams like the Rangers make a ton of sense as potential landing spots. And it does not appear as if staying in Columbus is an outcome the player is interested in.
“I don’t think there’s any way he can stay in Columbus,” Shumi Babaev, Chinakhov’s agent, told The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline in mid-July. “I don’t see any way.”
Rangers Could Give Chinakhov Needed Playing Time
Chinakhov’s agent is looking to get his client time in the top-six. As a matter of fact, he believes the evaluation around the NHL is that the Blue Jackets star is a top-six talent. “Any team in the NHL would say Chinny is a top-six player,” Babaev told Portzline.
He wouldn’t have a clear path to a top-six role with the Rangers. At least, not initially. If Mika Zibanejad’s struggles carry over to 2025-26, he could get traded or moved down the lineup. Moreover, if Will Cuylle sees an offensive decline, he could drop down.
Chinakhov would have a home on the third line, though. And there’s a chance he could see time on the second power play unit. It would be a hill for the 24-year-old to climb. But it’s not an impossible mountain to ascend for Chinakhov.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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